The US Marine Corps (USMC) has awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a full-rate production contract worth up to USD 271.5 million (EUR 234.7 million) for 30 mm remote turrets for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) programme.
Under the contract Kongsberg’s stabilized, remotely operated MCT-30 turrets will be installed in the USMC’s 30 mm cannon-armed ACV-30 vehicles: one of four variants in the next-generation ACV family of vehicles designed, developed and built by BAE Systems. The MCT-30 turret is vehicle agnostic, able to accept armour and a variety of effectors, including anti-tank missiles.
This first full-rate production order from the USMC’s Program Executive Office Land Systems Program Manager Advanced Amphibious Assault (PM AAA) includes a substantial number of turrets to be manufactured at Kongsberg’s remote weapon system facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where a dedicated medium-calibre turret production line has recently been established.
All remote weapon stations (RWSs) and remote turrets delivered to US customers are manufactured in Kongsberg’s Johnstown facility. For 20 years, Kongsberg has been the sole provider of these systems to the US military and delivery programs include the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) RWS and the Commonly Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) to the US Army. More than 20,000 RWSs and remote turrets have been produced in the facility since it opened in 2008.
The ACV-30 turret full-rate production contract announced on 5 August, which is initially valued about USD 118 million (EUR 102 million) but includes negotiated options for additional systems, follows a contract in November 2024 that purchased long-lead items worth USD 51 million, signalling the start of the ACV-30 project.
